Got Your Back
by mystifyre
Summary: Buffy, Ashley and Dinah were more than just friends; they were a team. But when one decision threatens their friendship, can they weather the storm or will all be lost? [One-shot]


_Author's Notes: This is my very first foray into the realm of Starlight fanfiction so any comments and/or reviews would be greatly appreciated. I just let the words flow with this one-shot; I didn't plan the story at all and just let it unfold as I wrote. In this particular 'fic, I originally imagined Ashley, Dinah and Buffy to be around 10 years old as I started out, however as the story developed I felt they were kind of growing with the story and by the end are more around 13 years old. I'll leave you, the reader, to make up your own mind as to their ages when this particular story takes place. I hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoyed writing; it was a bit of a rollercoaster!  
_

The chorus of jeers and laughter resounded in her ears as she lay crumpled in a heap in the dirt. It seemed to grow louder and louder, building up to a crescendo, like a sweeping wave crashing into the shore to consume her. For a moment, she clamped her eyes shut to try and block out the noise before taking a deep breath to compose herself and rising to her feet, brushing the dust off of her dress. She made sure her head was held high as she silently walked away from the crowd without a second glance. There was no trace of tears on her cheeks. No, Buffy never cried. She would _never_ give them the satisfaction of seeing her cry.

As she walked away, she couldn't help but hear the taunts.

"Buffy the loser!" they cried.

"What a useless piece of trash! She'd be better on the scrapheap!"

Those words had once stung but now fell on deaf ears. Buffy had realised long ago that she would never gain her peers' respect or ever be accepted into their social circles. When she rolled through the school halls, the other girl coaches would quickly turn away and proceed to snigger and gossip about her as she passed. The boy steam trains would try and trip her up during training exercises or steal her lunch money, waving it in the air in triumph. Occasionally, she'd get the money back if Ashley got the opportunity to kick them in the shins, whereby she'd strut back to their lunch table with a smug look on her face and tell her with a wink "I've got your back, Buffy!".

Ashley - like Buffy - was also an outcast and the two were drawn together by one another's plights. However, whilst Buffy was quiet yet resolute, her friend had no problem speaking out. Ashley was a no-nonsense kind of girl who stood her ground and could pack a good punch. Buffy could still recall the time one steam train tried to steal Ashley's rucksack and got more than he bargained for when she spun around and bust his nose. They had both run away, hand in hand, giggling with giddiness. They were as thick as thieves; invincible together.

x X x

A month after the pair became friends, a new girl coach was introduced into their training class. Ashley and Buffy had kept their distance and had quietly observed the new girl with her pretty blonde curls and blue frilly dress. However, she didn't engage with the other coaches and steam trains when they mocked the pair and instead shifted uncomfortably in her seat and glanced sympathetically at Buffy and Ashley. Whilst the rest of the class would throw pencils and insults, the new girl would withdraw, often sitting with her hands in her lap and her head bowed down. But one day, she surprised everyone. Their tutor had briefly left the class to their own devices and Henry, the class clown, had taken the opportunity to snatch Buffy's project book.

"Give that back, Henry!" Buffy demanded.

Henry stood in the middle of the room, the project book held above his head proudly, as if it were a trophy.

"Give that back, Henry!" he mimicked in a girlish tone. "Ha! Whatcha' going to do about it?"

At the challenge, Ashley rose from her seat, fists clenched.

"Give it back!" she said through gritted teeth.

"Make me!" the boy steamer retorted and ripped out one of the pages, before slowly proceeding to tear it up into pieces. The class gasped. All eyes were now on Buffy. But Buffy found she couldn't move; her body had grown stiff, her feet cemented to the floor. Henry poised himself to rip out another page and the class began to chant, spurring him on.

"Do it! Do it! Do it!"

With a wicked grin, Henry proceeded to rip out another page of Buffy's work, all the while the chants getting louder.

"STOP IT!"

The sudden yell of protest brought the chanting to a standstill. Everyone's gaze fell on the new girl coach who was now on her feet. Realising she now had an audience, the girl shyly backed away from her desk before she gathered up some courage and stood tall. The class watched in stunned silence as the blue coach approached Henry.

"What she ever done to you?" she asked, her arms folded.

Taken aback by the confrontation, Henry lowered the project book and stared at the girl dumbfounded. A slight snigger from the direction of Ashley's desk snapped him back to reality and he quickly regained his composure.

"Pfft, everyone knows Buffy's destined for nowhere but the scrapheap! Therefore she doesn't really need a project book!"

"Is that so?" the coach tilted her head, "then perhaps we should compare?"

Before he could react, the blue coach plucked the book from his grasp and took a step back. She gently flicked through the pages filled with Buffy's neat cursive writing and detailed sketches of the railroad. Glancing up to see Henry standing aghast, she smiled and turned to his book, spread open on his desk. After scanning a few scrawled pages, she closed the book with a loud thud and looked him straight in the eye.

"For someone who thinks he's such a smart ass, your work suggests you're not exactly the brightest locomotive in town."

Some of the class let out a chuckle at the bold coach's comment. Henry had never been shown up by a girl.

"If you want my judgment," the blue coach continued matter-of-factly, "you'll be going no farther than the training depot outside."

Before Henry could react, their tutor re-entered the classroom. The blue coach swiftly returned to her seat and carefully slipped Buffy's project book into her rucksack. Once class was dismissed, she approached the two girls at their table.

"Thanks for what you did back there. You didn't have to do that," Buffy said.

"It was quite satisfying seeing that smirk getting wiped off Henry's face!" Ashley chipped in, clearly in her element.

The blue coach shrugged. "It's true though. With the state of his work, he'll not be the one bragging about getting a good steamer job. You on the hand," she delved into her rucksack and returned Buffy's project book with a smile, "are definitely not destined for the scrapheap."

Buffy looked up at the girl and grinned. Her eyes then fell onto her book and the smile instantly slipped off her face. It was a little worse for wear, with the majority of the pages either left dog-earred or torn. Seeing Buffy's despondent look as she flicked through the pages, the new coach then passed the girl another book, this one in pristine condition.

"You can have my project book. I haven't written in it yet,"

Buffy was taken aback by the kind gesture. "But what will you use tomorrow?"

The new coach waved a hand dismissively. "I can buy another one after school."

Buffy smiled. "Really? Thank you! That's…really kind of you."

The blue coach winked. "Don't mention it."

Ashley, having stayed quiet for too long and clearly itching to know more about this new addition to their class, leaned in. "So, who do we have to thank for putting Henry back in line?"

The blue girl coach smiled back shyly.

"My name's Dinah."

x X x

From that day on, the trio were inseparable. They didn't care that the other young trains teased and gossiped about them; they had each other and that was all that mattered. They thrived as a team; Ashley took the lead, Buffy challenged and Dinah kept them all grounded. Most days, they'd spend their lunch breaks out on the grass drinking lemonade and eating Dinah's delicious homemade cookies. It's where they were the day top steamer Troy had challenged Buffy to the race and she hadn't seen the point in declining. She'd be mocked whatever she said anyway. If she said no she'd be "Buffy the coward". If she said yes, she'd be "Buffy the laughing stock". All things considered, she'd rather be known as the laughing stock who'd given it a good shot than be known as a coward. After all, they didn't scare her. And yet, here she was now, feeling slightly disheartened that she had lost again; another chance blown to show them what she was capable of.

Buffy kept trudging on until she reached a dilapidated shed in the middle of an abandoned depot, it's faded red paint peeling off the door. Using the drainpipe for leverage, she hoisted herself onto the roof and perched herself on the top, gazing out toward the sweeping views of the town. This was her retreat; a safe haven from the cruel words of her peers. They didn't pack a nasty sting anymore – Buffy had built a wall around her heart long ago so she would no longer feel the niggling hurt they used to bring. But occasionally, a rogue remark would strike the bullseye and chip away at her defences, leaving a bruise. Eventually, they dulled and lost their sharpness. But nevertheless, the comments about the scrapheap made her even more determined to succeed and become more than what her peers thought of her. One day she'd show them. She'd show them all that they should never have messed with Buffy.

"Buffy! I've been lookin' all over for you! Are you ok?"

She glanced down to find Dinah, her eyes filled with concern.

"I'm fine, Dinah. It's gonna take a lot more than a few stupid names to hurt me!"

"Yeah well, they'll stop calling you those stupid names once I wring all their necks! That Troy is just a big show off!" retorted Ashley as she joined Dinah's side, her arms crossed and a scowl on her face.

Buffy let out a laugh at Ashley's comment before listening as she continued her rant.

"I mean, all they do is race to show all the coaches how fast they can go. They are going to The Big Ridge tomorrow for their stupid annual challenge. I was thinking of going along in a hopes of seeing one of them fall spectacularly and smash their faces on the rails…"

"ASHLEY!" Dinah scolded, turning and giving her friend a stern look as she folded her arms.

"What? It's not like they don't deserve it!" Ashley retorted, her arms held out in disbelief.

Buffy leapt down from the shed roof, startling them both.

"Wait, where did you say they were going tomorrow?"

"The Big Ridge? Y'know, the notorious cliff with the old railroad? It's been shut for years after a landslide wiped out most of the track but some of the steamers still go there and dare one another to see how fast they can go and stop just before the edge."

Buffy had heard stories about The Big Ridge. As Ashley said, it was a popular spot, particularly for the teen steamers. It was a sheer drop below and the steamers loved the thrill of the danger. Buffy had heard rumours that one daredevil steamer had died years ago after his brakes failed and he had crashed through the wooden barrier and plummeted off the precipice. She wasn't sure how true the story was though and was convinced that the tale was simply fabricated to scare all the young coaches and steamers. But The Big Ridge gave her a great idea.

Ashley was quick to catch on.

"You can't be serious! Tell me you're not thinking what I think you are!"

Buffy tilted her head "Why not?"

"Uh, how 'bout because it involves racing at high speed down a track that ends with a CLIFF EDGE?"

The prospect didn't seem to faze Buffy one bit and she shrugged at Ashley.

"Ashley's right, Buffy," Dinah put a gentle hand on the girl's shoulder. "This isn't like the other races."

It was evident now to both Ashley and Dinah that their friend was so enraptured by the idea that she couldn't be reasoned with and was beyond the stage of rational thinking. But both of them couldn't bear the thought of her risking everything. And for what? To impress a few trains? Her friend's arrogance was irritating Ashley and she knew the only way to get through to Buffy would be the harsh route.

"Don't you dare think you can do it, Buffy! You'd be crazy!"

Buffy spun around and glared at her friend.

"What? You don't believe I can do it?"

"Of course I think you could do it, Buffy! But there's being daring and there's being reckless. That track is dangerous!"

"That's the point! Don't you see? I could show Chase and Henry and all the other dumb trains that I'm more than just a scrap of metal they can kick around!"

"Oh what, so you're telling me you are willing to risk your life just to show a bunch of idiots that you are stupid enough to even try and race?"

Ashley's voice was filled with venom now. Dinah, sensing the building tension, retreated backward.

"Get real, Buffy. They are not worth this. You are way better than this!"

Buffy rolled her eyes and sighed, crossing her arms and leaning against the shed. It only angered Ashley more.

"You do this race tomorrow," Ashley pointed a finger at Buffy, daggers in her eyes "it'll be the biggest mistake you ever make."

"What, because _you_ wouldn't do it?" Buffy spat out. "I'm not scared like you are, Ashley! I'm willing to take the risk because I'll make sure I won't fail."

Ashley raised an eyebrow, her arms also now folded.

"Famous last words."

At that, the coach turned around to leave but stopped herself. She gave her friend one last glance over her shoulder.

"Oh, and I'm not scared. I'm just not foolish."

At that, Ashley stormed off past Dinah and didn't look back. The blue coach looked helpless, tears silently trailing down her cheeks. Buffy wasn't sure whether she was upset because they were fighting or because she was so adamant to race. Perhaps, she thought, it was both. Nevertheless, her stomach twisted at the sight of her friend clearly upset. Dinah took a step toward her but then hesitated. She looked at Buffy pleadingly.

"Please don't do the race tomorrow," she begged.

Buffy felt a stab of pain then. She couldn't bear seeing Dinah cry. The pretty blue coach always had the best intentions at heart and didn't ever want anyone to get hurt. But seeing her so vulnerable made Buffy momentarily question her decision, filled with guilt.

Yet she had to do this. She just had to.

Buffy sighed.

"I'm sorry, Dinah," she said, shaking her head.

With that, Dinah let out a sob before turning and rolling away in the same direction as Ashley.

For the first time, Buffy suddenly felt lost. As she gazed down at the town below, it hit her like a ton of bricks.

She was alone.

x X x

The following morning, Buffy rose early and joined the steamers as they met at The Big Ridge track. Troy was the first to spot her.

"Hey, would you look who it is! Looks like Buffy really wants to seal the deal and head to the scrapheap!" he guffawed.

Buffy rolled her eyes, unimpressed. "It's getting old, Troy."

"Well, it's true!"

He turned to face his gang.

"Oi! Who wants the honour of racing Buffers here and send her on her way to scrapheap heaven?"

Chase rolled forward, cracking his knuckles. "Let's go, Buffy! Can't be late!"

At that, Buffy took a deep breath and took up her starting position on the track. She scanned the small crowd of coaches and steamers who had gathered to watch. She shouldn't have been surprised to not find Ashley or Dinah. They were both probably still in bed.

As she heard the countdown, she shook the thoughts from her head. She had to focus. She was going to win this.

"5…4…3…2…1…Trains gone!"

Buffy launched herself with as much throttle as she could, her feet shaking slightly as she tried to gain traction on the old rusty track. Chase was powering ahead, full of confidence. He clearly had some experience under his belt, which gave Buffy some reassurance. If Chase could race this track a few times and survive to tell the tale, she was sure as hell she could too. The thought gave her a boost of confidence and drove her forward, powering faster and faster. Soon, she drew level with her challenger.

"You're losing your touch!" she retorted.

She stormed ahead, feeling more comfortable on the track. She kept her eyes focused ahead. Then, she noticed Chase was nowhere to be seen. Surely he wasn't lagging that far behind? But she realised with horror that she had missed her cue to start breaking. Her had put on the brakes long before and she could now hear his panicked cries

"Stop, Buffy, STOP!"

She frantically applied her brakes but as the edge drew closer, Buffy had the sinking realisation that she wasn't going to stop in time. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, succumbing to her fate and bracing for the fall. But suddenly, she felt a heavy pull of resistance. She spun her head around to find Ashley had grabbed her couplers in a brazen attempt to save her. Then, she felt her feet slide and give way and she derailed, skidding right off the track.

For a long time, there was just silence. Buffy lay crumpled on the ground, her head spinning which prompted her to clamp her eyes firmly shut. Her heart was pounding in her chest, reverberating in her ears.

"Buffy!" she heard a cry.

Ashley rushed over to her side.

"Buffy!"

Buffy opened her eyes and lifted her head gingerly. As she shifted up onto her knees, she saw to her surprise that her friend – the toughest coach she knew – with tears in her eyes. Ashley hugged Buffy tightly with relief.

"Thank Starlight you are okay!"

Just then, Dinah and the other steam trains caught up. The blue coach didn't stop and collided with them both, hugging them both so vigorously she nearly knocked them both over. In that moment, Buffy knew what was most important. It didn't matter if the other coaches and steam trains didn't like her, she didn't need to win a stupid race to make them like her. What she needed was right here; the two coaches who had stuck by her side through thick and thin. She had been wrong all this time and she had realised too late.

After a moment, they were interrupted by one of steam trains clearing their throat awkwardly. Buffy pulled away.

"We're sorry, Buffy. We didn't mean for it to go this far…it was only for a bit of fun y'know?" Chase couldn't meet the coach's eyes.

"We didn't want you to get hurt," added Henry.

Buffy stood in front of the boy steamers. "I know," she said.

Troy stepped forward. "We're all really sorry, Buffy. Really, we are. We've been really horrid to you for a long time and we know it wasn't right."

He turned to Ashley. "We're really sorry too, Ashley," he said, giving a small smile, "I definitely deserved all those kicks in the shins!"

Ashley grinned and gave a nod of acceptance. She held out her hand.

"I'll keep my feet to myself if you quit pinching lunch money?"

Henry laughed and shook the coach's hand. "Deal."

Buffy smiled at the group of steamers. "So…does that mean I'm not headed for the scrapheap now?"

Troy shook his head and grinned. "Nah. The scrapheap is no place for a spunky coach like you."

At that, the steamers retreated, leaving the trio together alone. Buffy turned to Ashley.

"You saved my life."

Ashley sighed and placed a hand on her hip.

"Well, I wasn't going to stand by and watch you fall into the great abyss now, was I?"

At that, Buffy shrugged. "You could have."

She then glanced to her friends with a look of disdain, her shoulders sagging.

"I'm really sorry. You guys were right, I was stupid. I should have listened…"

Dinah made a move first and rested her hands on the other girl's shoulders. "We all make mistakes sometimes. It wasn't that we didn't believe in you, Buffy, we just really care about you. We didn't want to see you get hurt."

Dinah enveloped the coach in a warm hug before stepping back. Ashley cocked her head in the direction of home.

"Come on then, Buffers. Let's go home."

Satisfied that all was reconciled, Dinah rolled ahead, a big smile on her face, Ashley following close behind. But Buffy hesitated to join, caught up in her thoughts. Noticing the coach was hanging back, Ashley stopped in her tracks.

"Aren't you coming?"

The young coach didn't expect what Buffy said next.

"Ash, are we still friends?"

At that, Ashley rolled to her side and firmly linked arms with Buffy, a reassuring smile on her face.

"I've got your back, Buffy."


End file.
